Sony has announced the closure of Firewalk Studios, developer of the controversial Concord game for PlayStation. The news didn’t come as a surprise, especially after the game’s disastrous launch this year.
The CEO of the PlayStation group of studios, Hermen Hulst, confirmed that the decision is part of a strategic restructuring at Sony and will also affect the mobile game studio Neon Koi. The action will result in the loss of around 210 jobs, according to information from Bloomberg.
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A troubled launch and the end of Concord
For those who don’t remember, the game Concord was released on August 23 of this year for PS5 and PC, but was taken offline just two weeks later, on September 6, thanks to extremely low sales.
It is estimated that the title sold less than 25,000 copies and reached a peak of just 697 simultaneous players on Steam, much lower than expected. According to Hulst, Concord was unable to meet the performance objectives set by Sony, and the best course of action would be to close the project permanently.
In a statement, Hulst expressed gratitude to the Firewalk Studios team for their dedication and work, emphasizing that the decision was made after much thought and analysis of the available options. “I want to thank everyone at Firewalk for their talent, creative spirit and dedication,” said the CEO.
Firewalk is signing off one last time.
Firewalk began with the idea of bringing the joy of multiplayer to a larger audience. Along the way we assembled an incredible team who were able to:
– Navigate growing a new startup into a team during a global pandemic: Firewalk was…— Firewalk (@FirewalkStudios) October 29, 2024
Restructuring in the mobile sector and the end of Neon Koi
In addition to Firewalk, Sony announced the closure of Neon Koi, its mobile game development studio. Neon Koi, formerly known as Savage Game Studios, was acquired by Sony in 2022 with the intention of strengthening its presence in the mobile games market. The team was developing a large live-action game that will now not move forward.
Despite the statement that the mobile sector remains a priority, Hulst stated that Sony chose to close Neon Koi to strengthen the organization on other fronts. He highlighted that this decision was taken after a detailed analysis and aligned with the company’s new strategic focuses.
Sony and Concord’s lessons for the future of live gaming
Hulst explained that Sony will seek to learn from the mistakes made in the development and launch of Concord, to improve its capabilities in the live gaming sector. Concord’s experience has shown that to reach a large audience, you need to focus on improvements to your user experience and launch strategy. Hulst indicated that Sony will continue to invest in live gaming, but with a more targeted and assertive approach for the future.
While some of the developers impacted by studio closures may find new positions at other Sony studios, many professionals will join the growing list of layoffs that have plagued the gaming industry in recent years.
The games market, known for its competitiveness, has faced economic challenges and an increase in production costs, which are putting pressure on companies to seek greater efficiency and caution in investments.
Source: The Verge and Sony
Source: https://www.hardware.com.br/noticias/playstation-anuncia-o-fechamento-de-2-estudios-um-deles-e-o-responsavel-por-concord.html
